Love Conquers All

~ Chapter 18 ~

	Gillian and Jake rode in silence back to the resort.  The fact that
he had found her with Ryan seemed to be something that neither one of
them wanted to deal with.  Yet, they knew they would eventually have
to.  Jake decided to bring it up first.
	“Gillian, I thought we had a future - you, me and Colby,” he
said.
	“We do,” she replied.
	“What about Ryan?” he asked, bluntly.
	“Nothing happened between us. Nothing.”
	“But, I found you -”
	“You found us in a compromising situation, which I already
explained, but nothing happened - and nothing is ever going to
happen,” Gillian said. “Anything that ever existed between me and
Ryan is in the past. Okay?”
	“Is that how he feels?” Jake asked.
	“Ryan isn’t trying to win me back, if that’s what you think.  It’s
just a coincidence that he’s here. He saved me because that’s what he
does. It had nothing to do with our past relationship,” she said.
	“Your past marriage.”
	The rest of the ride was spent in silence, with Jake immersed in
his own thoughts and Gillian glancing into the rear view mirror
watching the police car behind them that was bringing Ryan back to the
resort.


~ Chapter 19 ~
	
	Gillian was brushing her hair in front of the mirror, freshly
dressed and showered.  Jake lie behind her on the bed.  Their eyes met
in the mirror.
	“Come sit with me,” he said.
	Gillian, smiling, walked over down on the bed.
	“You’re so beautiful,” he said.
	“Thank you, Jake,” she replied.
	Then he was kissing her, and she was kissing him back. But,
there was something missing in his kisses that made her feel hollow
and empty inside. It had always been different with Jake, but it wasn’t
until now, after having been with Ryan, that she noticed how striking
the difference was. 
	Gillian broke the kiss and sat, silently, watching him.
	“What’s wrong, Gillian?” he asked.
	“It’s just, when I was stranded in that cabin -”
	“What happened, Gillian?” Jake asked, interrupting her.
	She looked up at him, noting how quick he was to accuse her,
although she hadn’t been entirely honest with him.	
	“Nothing. Nothing happened,” she said, then paused.  “Being
that close to death, it made me think,” she said.
	“About what?”
	“About time, and how precious it is. All the time we waste.  All
the missed opportunities.  Don’t you ever think about that, Jake?”
Gillian asked, tears starting to well up in her eyes. “I saw my life flash
before me, with all the mistakes I’ve made.  But I didn’t die. I was
given the chance to fix them....Don’t, don’t you ever wonder, if you had
made choices differently, how your life might’ve changed?”
	“Of course I think about that. When Liza asked me to be
Colby’s father, what if I had turned her down?  I mean, look what a
difference she’s made in my life” Jake asked.
	“Yeah, things like that. But, sometimes, we always don’t make
the right choice.”
	“Like, what if I had decided to go into town with you, instead of
staying here? What if I had been in that cabin with you? Would we still
be having this conversation?” Jake asked.
	Gillian got up and walked over to the door. 
	“I just need some air, okay?  I’ll be back...sometime.”


~ Chapter 20 ~

	Gillian sat in the beach chair and watched the waves rolling in,
out in the distance.  She had been there for nearly an hour, and it was
close to 11:30 p.m.  But she couldn’t stop the questions from floating
around in her head. What if she hadn’t started divorce proceedings?
Would Ryan have still gone through with it?  
	This evening, on the ride back, Jake has suggested that Ryan
still had feelings for her.  She knew that, while they were alone
together, Ryan had been flirtatious, but he had never denied the
chemistry between the two of them.  Did that really mean he still loved
her? 
	“Stop!” Gillian yelled into the night. “What does it matter
anyway?”
	Ryan had moved on with his life, first his fling with Hayley -
well, she was married to Mateo now - but that didn’t change the fact
that he didn’t want her.  He had chosen to move on without her, and she
was given no choice but to do the same. And she had, with Jake, until
now.....Even if Ryan still had feelings for her, it was too late. It didn’t
matter anymore.  But it did. 
	She could see the lights and hear the music from the bar, a little
further down the beach. That’s what she needed, a drink.



~ Chapter 21 ~

	Gillian opened the door to the bar and, immediately, the slow,
sad music hit her ears.
	You waltz into the room, just like you never left.
	And, for a moment or two, I could almost forget.
	You take me in your arms, and I fall again.
	
	She needed a drink, desperately.  Sitting down at a small table
in the corner, she ordered a margarita.  That drink had helped her to
forget in the past, maybe it would do the trick again.  Instead, it only
reminded her of that night at S.O.S., when she was in Ryan’s arms, and
everything felt right.  Then, her train of thought drifted to the cabin,
and what almost happened.  

	Weren’t you supposed to need something I couldn’t give?
	But now, you’re lying so close to me.
	And, you’re taking everything.
	I can’t hold on forever for nothing more then this.

	What right did Ryan have to come back now?  This was
supposed to be the beginning of her future with Jake.  He shouldn’t be
here. He shouldn’t be confusing her like this.  He made his choices in
life.  It was too late to go back on them now. She followed that thought
with a long drink, waiting for the margarita to work it’s magic.  

	That’s no way to break a heart.
	You call my name.
	I drop my guard.
	Why can’t you play your chosen part and stay away?
	So I can make another start.
	That’s no way to break a heart.

	What was wrong with this drink?  It just didn’t seem to be
working.  She ordered another, and greedily began her second glass.
But, try as she might, her mind still betrayed her.  All she see, think, or
feel was Ryan.  She closed her eyes, taking another long sip.

	Don’t touch me.
	Don’t you kiss me.
	Don’t you realize?
	That’s no way to say goodbye.
	
	Opening her eyes, she saw Ryan seated alone at a table across
the room, watching her.  Had he been there the whole time?  Boldly,
half out of anger and half from the effects the alcohol was beginning to
take, she picked up her drink and walked over to his table.
	“Princess,” Ryan said, “I see you’ve been drinking.  Are you
sure that’s a good idea? You do remember what happened last time you
drank one too many margaritas? The night I brought you home, and put
you to bed.”
	Gillian didn’t miss his amorous tone, which only made her all
the more angry.  She slid down into the chair across from him,
seductively leaning across the small table.  Two can play at this game,
Ryan Lavery, she thought.  It’s not very fun to want something you
can’t have, is it? 
	“Are we going to talk about this?” Gillian asked.
	He smiled innocently.
	“About what?”
	“About what happened at the cabin,” she said. “About why
you’re here.”
	“I told you,” Ryan began, “I’m vacationing here where my aunt
used to -”
	“You know the funny thing about that, Ryan?” Gillian asked,
interrupting him. “I was out on the beach, for the past hour, thinking.”
	Ryan smiled. So, he was getting under her skin after all. Yes,
she did still love him.  Maybe it wasn’t too late.
	“And,” Gillian asked softly, “do you know what I
remembered?” 
	“What?” Ryan asked, his voice full of hope. 
	“I remembered, you don’t have an aunt - not one you know of,”
she said. “At least, that’s what you told me once. Where you lying then,
or now?”


That’s No Way To Break A Heart
by Sherrie Austin